Everything that happened at the Black Lives Matter protest

February is Black History Month, and to mark it, hundreds gathered at UT’s Martin Luther King Jr. statue on East Mall to march in support of Black Lives Matter.

Saturday’s Millions March shut down MLK Boulevard, and was supported by Texas Fight for 15, and the Texas Organizing Project to show solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Before the march, a number of speakers gave impassioned speeches in the presence of the iconic Martin Luther King Jr. statue.

They discussed the Flint water crisis, the issue of gentrification in Austin, the need for more police accountability and the need for better opportunities for people of color. The speeches encouraged protesters and reaffirmed those in attendance of what they seek to improve in the world.

The march proceeded down the East Mall, onto MLK Boulevard. and down Congress Ave. until it reached the steps of the Capitol Building.

Along the way protesters chanted numerous chants, including “All lives matter when black lives matter,” “Hey, hey, ho, ho, these killer cops have got to go,” “Hands up don’t shoot,” “Hands down, fist up,” “silence is violence,” “Asian, Latin, Black and White to smash racism we must unite,” and “Greg Abbot you can’t hide because we’ll charge you with genocide.”

Leading the chants for the march was Mike Lowe, 35, an organizer for SATX4, a grassroots organization fighting social and racial inequality in San Antonio.

He said the point of the march was to “echo solidarity.”

The ultimate goal “is to get laws and policies changed that affect the marginalization, the dehumanization and disfranchisement of black lives,” Mike said.

The plan is to fight the political regime that ignores them, by voting for and electing people who represent their needs.

A main theme was mobilization, motivating people to take action, including persuading people to vote for progressive candidates in the upcoming election.

Once the protesters reached the steps of the Capitol, more speakers reaffirmed the need to take action, the need to fight the racist political regime in Texas, fight gentrification, and voice their opinions about police brutality.

Chas Moore, co-founder of Austin Justice Coalition, and organizer of the Millions March, said the previous year more students were in attendance, as there was a low turnout of UT students at the rally.

Sociology major, Jasmine Murray, 25, from Crosby, Texas was in attendance. She was motivated by the events unfolding in Flint, Michigan, where there is a lack of clean water.

She was surprised how people came together to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement. People of all races, and backgrounds were involved in the march, she said.

Ultimately she was “disappointed that more students are not interested.”

The lack of student participation shows an underlying problem at UT, resembling the low ratio of minority students. You would expect UT to be more diverse. You wouldn’t expect this issue “from such a prestigious school, a school who wants to change the world,” Jasmine said.

Another student organizing the protest, was Biology major Mike Ajoubi, 20, from Dallas.

“For the majority of my upper division classes, I see only one other black student,” he said.

He has also been a victim of verbal harassment due to his race during his time at UT. He hopes with his efforts, he can abolish these issues and provide a better learning environment for future students.

Until equality is achieved, and the issue of racism is resolved the Millions March will be held in Austin every year, Mike added.

Watch the full video of the day here: